GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND FEED UTILIZATION OF Clarias gariepinus JUVENILE FED GRADED LEVEL OF BLOOD MEAL
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33003/fjs-2025-0912-4282Keywords:
Bloodmeal, Clarias gariepinus, FCR, Fishmeal, Growth performanceAbstract
This study investigated the growth performance and feed utilization of Clarias gariepinus juvenile (African catfish) fed graded levels of blood meal. The experiment was conducted at the Zoology Laboratory, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, over a 12-week period from september to november 2024. Juvenile C. gariepinus (mean initial weight: 8 g) were acclimated and randomly stocked (10 fish per 20liters aquarium) in triplicate groups, totaling 150 fish across 15 aquaria. Five isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets were formulated with graded blood meal inclusion levels of (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%). Diet composition included yellow maize, fish meal, blood meal, soybean meal, wheat offal, vitamin premix, and common salt. Growth performance varied among treatments; the highest weight gain was observed in fish fed 25% and 50% blood meal, whereas lower gains were recorded at 0% and 100% inclusion levels. Differences in weight gain across treatments were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Water quality parameters recorded were within optimal ranges: temperature (24–26 °C), pH (6.5–7.0) and dissolved oxygen (4.7–5.6 mg/L). The study demonstrates that blood meal can partially replace fish meal in C. gariepinus diets, with 25–50% inclusion levels yielding optimal growth performance. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that blood meal be included at 25–50% levels in the diets of Clarias gariepinus juveniles, as these inclusion rates produced the best growth performance and feed utilization. Fish farmers and feed formulators should therefore adopt partial replacement of fish meal with blood meal within this range to reduce feed...
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Copyright (c) 2025 Aisha Aminu Sada, Banyigyi A. Hassan, James K. Makpo, Hassan S. Chuntar
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